‘Saturday Night Live’ Hits Season Low With Host Josh Hutcherson

Host star power is key in drawing viewers to Saturday Night Live. The venerable late-night show proved it this weekend when it was hosted by Josh Hutcherson, known primarily for his role in the Hunger Games franchise. But while the second movie in the franchise was setting box office ratings, SNL with Hutcherson was soft. Despite him being one of the youngest hosts to take the SNL stage (he just turned 21), the Saturday show only drew a 2.0 rating in adults 18-49 in the 25 markets with people meters, down 23% from last week when Lady Gaga was emcee/musical guest and a season low. In the metered markets, SNL with host Hutcherson and musical guest Haim averaged a 4.1 rating, down 14% from last week and the second lowest result for the season behind the October 26 show hosted by Ed Norton. For comparison, the hosting stint of Hutcherson’s Hunger Games co-star Jennifer Lawrence last season delivered a 4.9 in HH and 2.8 in 18-49.